Episode 192 (Manga)
Synopsis Mule Wolflame leads the charge against the Kushan convoy. The Kushan general responds by sending out his war slaves - inhabitants of Midland who've been captured and are used to fight their own countrymen, allowing the Kushan to preserve their own numbers. Mule and his soldiers don't realize that their assailants are fellow Midlanders until the killing has already begun, and they suddenly become aware how the Kushan have been able to conquer vast amounts of land without diminishing their own numbers. The Kushan general notices that his war slaves have stopped fighting in earnest, so he orders his Kushan troops to fire a volley of arrows into the backs of a few of their slaves to motivate the rest into fighting more. Knowing the war slaves won't be able to achieve victory on their own, the general orders the cavalry which is composed of Kushan soldiers, to charge. The horsemen vastly outnumber Mule and his allies and are charging at full tilt. But at the moment before the two forces meet, several Kushan cavalrymen are struck in the face with arrows fired with so much force that their heads fly off their bodies. The arrows were fired by an archer on a distant hill who leads an entire group of armored archers who have not yet fired their own arrows. This lead archer is unique in several ways when compared to those at his side: he is not dressed in armor, but rather in lighter hunting attire; he is so skilled that he fires several arrows at a time; he possesses the largest bow and quiver of any of his allies, and said bow is adorned with what appears to be a functioning eye on a decorative limb just a few inches away from the bow's grip. The lead archer fires several more arrows at once, beheading killing one Kushan soldier with every arrow. Mule becomes hopeful that reinforcements have arrived, and sure enough, another cavalry force begins charging at the Kushan from behind Mule's soldiers. This new cavalry is composed of only a few dozen soldiers, but they easily trounce the Kushan cavalry, which numbers in the hundreds. The Kushan general orders his remaining cavalrymen to flank the newly-arrived soldiers, but their horses are frightened by a loud far-off roar. When the general looks to the source of the roar, which emanated from a hill to his left, he sees another force of footsoldiers, some of which run on all fours like animals and led by none other than Zodd, charge down the hill and cut down several Kushan soldiers. Yet more of the Kushan are killed by the arrival of the hulking dragon-armored man, Grunbeld, who leads similarly large armored soldiers through the Kushan force. The Kushan general is suddenly overcome with fear, wondering if he's been unfortunate enough to have befallen the legendary opponents who've been fighting the Kushan from inside Midland itself. Both he and Mule gaze up at a new force of soldiers. This one is by far the largest to have appeared, and it flies under a slightly modified version of the emblem of the Band of the Falcon. Griffith has arrived and is ready to help Mule Wolflame fight the Kushan invaders. Characters in Order of Appearance * Mule Wolflame * Irvine (First appearance) * Locus * Zodd * Grunbeld * Griffith